The art of diplomacyon October 16, 2018I still remember my professor Iqbal Tajik who during a lecture on diplomacy in the postgraduate class back in late 90s, compared it with nations' chess-board meant to play power gamesbased on calculations. His brilliant definition calling "diplomacy as the art of saying good doggie till you have time to pick up the stick" depicts conventional wisdom towards globalization, developing global … [Read more...] about The art of diplomacy
How will Pakistan match to its population boom?on October 12, 2018For years, Pakistan’s soaring population growth has been evident in increasingly crowded roads, malls, schools, hospitals, parks, and communities across the country. No one is serious to understand the reasons until now.6th Population and Housing Census of Pakistan says Pakistan has surged to a staggering 207.8 million, showing an increase of 75.4 million people in 19 years. The population was … [Read more...] about How will Pakistan match to its population boom?
And they are the game changerson October 2, 2018Pakistan is a developing country and most of its population lives in undesirable circumstances. A large number of people in our country do not have proper places to live, this miserable condition has given birth to a large number of beggars and dependence of people to survive on the charities. The economic conditions of an average individual are not encouraging. Poverty, hunger and unemployment … [Read more...] about And they are the game changers
Rest in peace begum Kulsoom Nawazon September 14, 2018In her book ‘Jabar aur Jamhooriat’ published in 2007, former first lady of Pakistan Begum Kulsoom Nawaz exquisitely narrated the difference between democracy and dictatorship, shared the callous and violent behaviour of Generals who were responsible for the coupof 1999 in Pakistan, and spoke of the struggle to free of her husband. Her book is a testimony to what our security establishment and … [Read more...] about Rest in peace begum Kulsoom Nawaz
The man of destinyon September 11, 2018It was 10:25 pm on Saturday, September 11, 1948, when the father of the nation Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah passed away. The country that he had founded was left bereft. It was hard to come to terms with the fact that he was dead, all the more so because his illness was kept a closely guarded secret. On the next day, almost a million mourners attended funeral prayers to catch one last glimpse … [Read more...] about The man of destiny
Stereotyping the Pashtunson September 7, 2018Pashtuns are the second largest ethnic group, they make up 25 percent of the total population of Pakistan. Their rich cultural tradition and literature and varied political and economic contexts, reflect familiar notions of hospitality and pride. However, nearly four decades of continuous war in our neighboring Afghanistan (1979-till date), have branded Pashtuns on both sides as aggressive and … [Read more...] about Stereotyping the Pashtuns
The journey to Naya Pakistanon August 14, 2018On a day when the nation is celebrating the 71st Independence Day with due reverence and paying tribute to the memory of the country’s founder Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the newly elected parliamentarians are all set to elect the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan. Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), and its allies in the National Assembly, have leading numbers and Imran Khan is most likely to be … [Read more...] about The journey to Naya Pakistan
The elephant in the roomon August 9, 2018The gradual erosion of social infrastructure, endemic poverty and the growing inequality have made our society violent and militarised. Pakistan is currently faced with numerous existential issues including lack of good governance, the population boom, rising violent crime — especially against women and climate change. A substantial proportion of the population remains deprived of the basic … [Read more...] about The elephant in the room
A democracy by undemocratic meanson July 31, 2018Back in 2013, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was protesting the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) rigging. The latter had emerged victorious after receiving the highest number of votes in the 2013 General Elections. Now, it is quite the opposite. This time, it is the PML-N which is leading the protests. The demand then, was same as today; no to rigging, no to corruption and no to … [Read more...] about A democracy by undemocratic means
Naya Pakistan: the challenges aheadon July 27, 2018Imran Khan and his party are all set to form the new government. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf emerged as the single largest party in the country, securing a simple majority in the National Assembly. A total of 137 seats are required to form the central government, and so far the PTI is the closest to that number with a very wide margin. Millions of voters flocked to polling stations to exercise their … [Read more...] about Naya Pakistan: the challenges ahead
